A collaborative effort between the Springfield Museum and the city has produced a self-guided walking tour that explores 23 of Springfield’s key historical sites, as well as some of the town’s oldest haunts.
Published by the Springfield Historic Commission, the tour guide focuses on architectural style and function. Since Springfield’s settlement in 1848 by Elias and Mary Briggs, the town has grown to 55,000 residents and is the second largest city in Lane County.
Photos provided in the guide show how the city and its buildings have changed in look and function over the years.
“History is so important for all of us,” says Springfield Historic Commissioner Paula Guthrie, who started work on the tour in April 2007.
Guthrie, a city employee for more than 25 years, became interested in the history of Springfield while volunteering for the Springfield Museum. When a position on the historic commission came open, she jumped at the chance to “bring alive the history of Springfield.”
In choosing material for the brochure, Guthrie scoured past brochures and historic archives to find a well-rounded selection of stops for the tour that represent the “flavor of not just the building, but the history itself,” Guthrie says.
The tour begins at Springfield Pioneer Cemetery, founded formally in 1866.
One of the oldest cemeteries in Lane County, it is now the site of a public park. It is hard to imagine that the now-recreational retreat once degenerated into open pits, unprotected graves and the reckless traveling of people and wagons over the site.
The conditions got so bad that relatives were asked to relocate their deceased. Thanks to a 1973 beautification project, the cemetery now houses a cozy 12 stones and acts as a perfect meeting place or picnic spot.
Third stop on the tour is the Main Street Bridge over the Willamette River.
Elias Briggs operated a ferry at the site beginning in 1853; the ferry service was replaced in 1875 with a 368-foot-long wooden covered bridge — at the time considered the longest single-span bridge west of the Mississippi River.
The current span is the fourth bridge to link Springfield and Glenwood. It was designed by Conde McCullough who is known primarily for many of the Oregon coastal bridges along Highway 101.
Stop No. 5 on the map is the Bell Theater/Seavey Building on Main Street. Built in 1911 by John Hunzicker, the theater entertained and delighted its customers with vaudeville acts, player pianos and an assortment of actors and actresses.
While it wasn’t the first theater in Springfield, it was one of the only to be a theater from its construction date until 1949. It’s a must-see for fans of old theaters and Jazz Era entertainment.
Another stop, farther east on Main Street, is the Stevens and Perkins Building, built by Welby Stevens and A.J. Perkins. The building has three stores that have housed everything from a clothing store to a grocery store, a dance hall and The Springfield News. Due to its versatility, the building helped Main Street develop into the commercial district that it is today.
Age played another factor in Guthrie’s criteria for selecting buildings for the tour. As the lifespan of these buildings, some older than 100 years, continues to advance, it becomes increasingly important to document their significance and role in the Springfield community.
Guthrie’s expectations for the tour are simple.
“I hope people enjoy it and see the significance of how Springfield started and grew,” she says. “Hopefully, it sucks people in.”
Churches are among highlights
For a lesson in restoration, head to the Springfield Christian Church.
The church, built in 1880, originally was located just south of the railroad tracks. The building was moved in 1905 and required remodeling and a new addition.
The church experienced not one but two fires that required more rebuilding. To this day, the church stands proud in its armor of pumice masonry blocks, which are fireproof.
While the Ebbert United Methodist Church is several blocks north of the Springfield Christian Church, its medieval-like structure and stained-glass windows are well worth the walk.
Christina and I and many others in our class grew up attending this church. The beautiful windows are spectacular when the sun shines through them...
The church is the oldest structure in the city, and still contains its original oak pews. To protect the exquisite windows, which cost $1,600 in 1916, they've been sealed with bulletproof glass.
Information overload was one of the few roadblocks Guthrie encountered while compiling information for the guidebook. She says that the tour always will be a fulfilling work in progress.
In addition to her work on the tour, Guthrie’s next project is to update the Springfield Historic Commission Web site. Always working to make a difference, Guthrie says, “I’m on my way.”
The free tour guides are available at the Springfield Museum, 590 Main St., or at Springfield City Hall, 225 A St.
Brochures for a walking tour of the Washburne Historic District are also available. That tour includes 15 stops, many of which are homes that date back as far as 1885.
Springfield history buffs also may be interested to know that a driving tour of the stagecoach route through Springfield is in the planning stages. It may be available in the coming months.
For more information on the historic commission, go to www.ci.springfield.or.us/dsd /Planning/hcommission/index .htm.